Electric shaver



Jung 2, 1953 A. P. MILLER- 2,640,259

ELECTRIC SHAVER Filed Oct. 29, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B.

. INVENTOR. I ANTHONY F. MILLER ATT June 1953 A. P. MILLER 2,640,259

ELECTRIC SHAVER Filed Oct. 29, 19 8 ,2 Sl)eets-.-Sheet 2 FIG. Z

. INVENTOR.

ANTHONV P. MILLER ATTORNE S Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,640,259 ELECTRIC SHAVER Anthony P. Miller, Plcasantville, N. J.

Application October 29, 1948, Serial No. 57,143

1 Claim.

1 This invention relates to an electric shaver or cutter and has particular reference to such a device in which cutting is effected by the action of a slotted cutting blade.

In my prior Patent 2,289,447, dated July 14, 1942, and application, Serial No. 718,355, dated December 31, 1946, now abandoned, there are disclosed shaving devices having' helical cutters, which, in cooperation with slotted housings, provide for effective cutting of hair by permitting the hair properly to enter the slots of the housings for action of the cutting blade. The present invention relates to a device of this same general type in which the same general principle of cutting action is involved.

It is anobject of this invention to provide an improved form of cutting blade to accomplish an improved operation and simplification and reduced cost of manufacture. The design simplilies the machining and grinding operations which must be held to very close tolerances.

The present invention also embodies an improved angular relation between the stationary slots in the blade housing and the rotating cut-v ting blades.

An additional object of this invention is to provide an improved mounting arrangement for a comb such as would desirably be used when shearing a fabric or a rug where nap or pile is to be cut to a definite length.

The objects of the present invention relate primarily to the accomplishment of these results and will become more apparent from the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure l is an exploded view showing the various parts of the device;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the blade housing showing the stationary blade elements with slots therein;

Figure 3 is an end view of the blade housing;

Figure 4 is an elevation partly in section of the cutter blade assembly showing the cutter blade driving member, the cutter blade expanding spring, and the cutter blades;

Figure 5 is a transverse section of the blade assembly taken on the plane indicated at 55 in Figure 4;

Figures 6A and 6B are diagrammatic showings of angular relationships between the moving slots in the rotating cutter blade and the stationary slots in the housing;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a comb arranged to be attached to the cutter; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the blade housing with the cutter assembly installed and the comb attached.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, and first to Figure 1, the improved device comprises a housing 2 which may be of plastic material and which is exteriorly shaped to be gripped by the hand of a user of the device. A small electric motor, preferably of the universal type commonly used in shaving devices of this character, is enclosed within the housing 2 and has a shaft 4,-

the end of which is provided with a driving pin 6. This shaft carries a knurled wheel 8 which may be rotated by the finger of the user to start the motor in operation. The housing is preferably made in two halves, secured together by screws and at one end is provided with a cylindrical socket In for the reception of a sleeve l2 provided with a pair of radially arranged pins M which project both inwardly and outwardly through the wall of the sleeve. The outwardly projecting portions of the pins l4 extend into seats is to hold the sleeve against rotation. Within the sleeve, there is adapted to be secured a blade housing 18 by engagement of bayonet slots 26] with the interiorly projecting ends of the pins I4. I

A rotatable blade assembly 22 is adapted to be slipped within the housing [8 and to be secured to the shaft 4 by engagement of bayonet slots 24 i with the ends of pin 6 carried by the shaft 4.

The housing l8 illustrated in Figure 1 is desirably made of steel and is more fully illustrated in form in Figures 2, 3 and 8. Referring to the' housing shown in Figure 2, the shank portion 26 thereof which contains the bayonet slots 26 is' cylindrical in shape and is extended at 28 and 29 in a form having the external appearance illustrated at 28 and 29 in Figure 3. A uniform bore 32 extends through its length, and, due to the shape of the portions 28 and 29, opposite sides are slotted as indicated at 34 to provide stationary blade elements or bars 35 cooperating with the rotatable blade and having a form which will be more fully referred to hereafter.

Referring particularly to Figures 4 and 5, the cutter assembly consists of a shank portion 36,-

blade portions 46, a central shaft portion 38, a spring expander 42 and pins 43 and 44. The

shank portion which is made of steel or an aluminum alloy has a uniform bore 31 extending through its length. One end of the shank portion contains bayonet slots 24 for the attachment of the driving pin 5 on shaft 4. The other end of the shank portion is formed with an external shoulder 52 for the purpose of supporting the cutter blades 40 which are held in position by pin 43.

Fitted into the central bore of the shank portion and also held in position by pin 43 is the central shaft member 38. This shaft, preferably made of a lighter metal such as an aluminum 3 alloy, has a central portion of reduced diameter as indicated at 39. At the outer end the shaft contains a bore for the admission of pin 44. The outer end portion 45 of the central drive shaft has metal removed producing the fiat sides 48 as shown in Fig. 5.

The cutter blades are formed from a split sleeve or cylinder of steel as generally indicated at 49. Referring to the cutter blades, as shown, each member it contains slots 48. When the cutter is rotated the edges of the bars 49 between the slots provide the cutting or shearing action as they cross with the edges of the bars 35 in, the cutter housing. Each end of the cutter blade members is provided with a bore 50 for insertion of the pins 43 and M.

Referring to the diagram of Figure 6B the cutter blade slots are formed with an angle which is less acute than the angle of the slots forming the stationary cutters in the housing assembly. Thus, as the blade 49 rotates downward toward the viewer as indicated by the arrow 53, the rota.- tion will give the cutter blade bars the appearance of traveling in the outward direction indie cated by arrow and the point of crossing of the edge of the moving cutting blade bar as and the edge of stationary bar moves progressively along the cuttin edge of the slot in the blade housing in a direction opposite that of blade rotation occupying successively the positions 55, 56 and 57. Therefore, the rotation of the blade tends to draw the individual hairs 59 into cutting position into the apex of the angle between the cutter blade bar and the cooperating stationary bar in the housing.

Heretofore the customary procedure has been to provide the stationary slot at an angle less acute than the angle of thecutter blade slot. Under these conditions the action of the cutter blade rotation has been to push the hair out of the cutting position, as is shown in Figure 6A Where the cutting point moves successively from 55" to 56 :to 57'.

It should be further noted that the direction of rotation of the cutter blade with respect to the angle of the slots therein is such that the Archimedes screweffect will carry the hair clippings outward whereupon theywill be discharged out of the end of the shaver through the openings provided adjacent to the plane faces at.

When the cutter blades are assembled with shank portion 38 and thecentral shaft 38, there is included a spring 32. While this spring is pref erablyemployed in the form of a coil spring as shown, it may be a leaf spring or other form of spring which. would serve the purpose of applying an. outward force more or less generally distributed over the inner surface of either blade assembly holding the cutterblade firmly contact with the slotted housing i8 and not unduly obstructing the slots which provide the cutting act.

It should be noted that, when the razor is in operation, centrifugal force will hold the cutter blades in an outward position against the blade housing. However, it is desirable to employ the aforementioned spring in order to holdthe cutter blades snugly in position at all times.

While for simplicity the improved cutter has been refer-red to as if it were an electrical razor for shaving the face, the invention is not limited to a shaving device but it will be evident that the devicemay be used for the cutting of hair, the nap of rugs, the pile of fabrics or the like and accordingly where reference ismade for sim- 4 plicity to the cutting of hair it is to be understood that the cutting or" other filaments is to be included.

In particular, Where hair, pile or nap is to be cut it is desirable to associate the cutter with a comb for the purpose of controlling the closeness of cutting. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the provision and use of such a comb. The comb indicated generally at to is of blade-like form and is provided with a dovetail slot as and slots Gil defining the comb teeth. As indicated in Figure 8 these slots are spaced and inclined so as to be in alignment with the slots 34 of the cutter housing so as to promote the entrance of hairs and proper placement thereof within the slots for the cutting action. In order to retain the hairs until cutting is accomplished, the slots in the comb pass under the cutter to the center of the slot 62 and the slots St of the cutter housing also extend around and under the cutter housing to the center of the dovetail key 29. In order to retain the cutter assembled with the comb, the cutter is provided, with a dovetail projection 29 arranged to engage within a dovetail slot 62 in the comb. As will be evident the, comb will arrange long hairs in particular and serve to present them properly to the cutter while the length of the remaining hairs may be con-trolled by the comb manipulation.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A cutter for hair or the like comprising a, boneing member having a cylindrical bore and a, thin wall provided with parallel slots for the entrance of hairs, each of said slots being. displaced from. a radial plane through said housing, a cutting means within said bore comprising a split cylinder provided with parallel slots, each of said slots being displaced from a radial plane through said cutting means, each of the slots. in said housing member extending in the same general direction as the slots in said cutting means but at an angle further displaced from a radial plane than the angle of the slots in said cutting means, flexible means Within said cutting means urging it to expand outwardly into engagement with said bore, and driving means extending through said cutting means and connected to both ends of u said cutting means for rotating said cutting means, the arrangement being such that the cutting edges of all of the slots in said cutting means meet the cooperating cutting edges of the slots in said housing member progressively in a direction opposite'to the direction of rotation of said cutting means to apply a shearing action on hairs entering the slots over the entire area of the cutting surface of the cutter.

ANTHONY P. MILLER.

References. Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PA'lENTS Number Name Date 1,211,273 .Ard Jan. 2, 1917 1,628,421 Patendaude May 10, 1927 1,902,988 Bott Mar. 28, 1933 2,146,783 Whalen Feb. 14, 1939- 2,199,768 Whitton May 7-, 1940 2,216,994 Wall Oct. 8, 1940 2,269,875 Huntington Jan. 13, 1942 2,289,323 Dettle July 7, 1942 2,500,378 Quackenbush et al. Mar. 14, 1950 

